Oil and gas separator



March 10. 1925. 1,529,162

F. D. BRUCE OIL AND GAS SEPARATOR Filed April 19, 1923 Patented Mar. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES FRANK D. BRUCE, F TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

OIL AND GAS SEPARATOR.

Application flied April 19, 1923. Serial No. 633,182.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, FRANK D. Barron, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tulsa, in the county of Tulsa and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oil and Gas Separators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in oil and as separators especially adapted to be us in connection with oil and gas wells for separating the fluid and sand from the gas, the object bein to provide a separator which is very simple and cheap in construction and one which is automatic in operation.

Another and further object of the invention is to provide a separator in which a ivotally mounted tank is arranged in a rame and so supported that when the liquid accumulates within a tank, the tank is overbalanced and the liquid is allowed to flow out of the tank, the gas having an outlet at all times and so disposed that dry gas passes from the separator.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In t e drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved'construction of separator, the tank being partly in section;

Figure 2 is a side elevation partly broken away, and partly in section; and

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the same.

In carrying out my invention I emplo a rectangular base frame 1 having a vertically disposed rectangular frame 2 at one end and substantially inverted V shaped frames 3 and 4 adjacent its other end which are connected to the main frame by braces 5 as clearly sho n in Figure 1.

The inverted shaped fraines 3 are provided with supporting bearings 6 and 7 through which extend pipes 8 and 9, the pipe 8 forming an inlet and the pipe 9 an outlet for the tank as will be hereinafter fully described. Disposed within the frame is a cylindrical tank 10 which may be formed of a pipp of any desired size or of any other suita le material, said pipe at one end having bearinglsleeves 11 and 12 in its opposing walls 1; rough which the pipes 8 and 9 extend and on which the tank 10 is adapted to swing.

The pipe 8 after passing through the bearing 11 is bent at right angles and turned downwardly and adapted to rest on the bottom of the tank at approximately a point one-third of the length of the tank as shown at 13. The pipe 9 is turned upwardly as shown at 14 forming a gas outlet so that a free passage of gas is allowed to pass therethrough in a, dry condition.

The top bar of the rectangular frame 2 is provided with a hanger 15 on which is pivotally mounted a beam 16 to which is connected a clevice 17 carrying a rod 18 provided with a clevice 19 which is pivotally connected to an ear 20 secured to the tank 10 as clearly shown.

The opposite end of the beam carries a clevice 21 to which is loosely connected 9. rod 22 carrying weights 23 for counter-balancing the tank and holdinor the same in its normal position. The tank is normally held in an inclined position and the lower end is provided with an outlet pipe 25 carrying a gate valve 26,for controllin the outlet of the fluid, such as water an oil, therefrom. The side bars of the frame 2 carry a bowed cross bar 27 connected to the vertical bar of the frame 2 bybraces 28 and this bowed bar carries a pair of rods 29 which are connected to the operating levers 30 of the gate valve so that as the tank raises and lowers, the gate valve is moved up and down so as to open and close the outlet and while I have not shown the details of construction of this ate valve, any of the well known forms 0% gatevalves or disc valves can be used for controlling the outlet pipe of the fluid in connection with the construction of separator above described.

In the operation of the separator as herein shown and described, which is especiall adapted to be used in connection with oil and gas wells, fluid and gas coming from the well passes into the tank 10 through the pipe 8 and is dischar d by the end ofthe pipe at the point 13 w -ch is approximately one third of the distance of the length of the pipe. The gas which is admitted at the same time with the fluid rises to'the upper end of the tank and passes out through the pipe 9. As the fluid accumulates, the tank overbalances the weights and moves downwardly, carrying with it the gate valve away from the gate or disc as the case may be, so as to open the discharge opening 25 for the waters and oil which passes out through the same.

In the construction herein shown the weights are sufficient to counter-balance the tank until the fluid therein has risen to a height equivalent to substantially one-third of the len th of the tank so that the fluid never reac es a level within the tank to a point where the oil and gas and water are admitted and b adjusting the weights, of course. the heig t of the liquid can be increased or decreased, but I have found that 'very satisfactory results are obtained by so counter-balancing the tank that when the liquid level therein reaches the point on the length of the tank which is equivalent to one-third the length thereof, the weights will be over-balanced so as to open the discharge opening to allow the fluid to pass out therethrough.

I am aware that various constructions of gas separators forming a pivoted tank have been used prior to my invention but these apparatuses are very expensive to manufacture, while with my improved construction, the tank is so mounted and constructed that the cost of manufacture is greatly reduced and I provide a two-point bearing for the tank at one end which allows the tank to swing freely on its pivots so as to enable the action of the tank to be very sensitive.

What I claim is l. A gas separator comprising a supporting frame provided with oppositely disposed bearings, inlet and outlet pipes arranged within said bearings, a tank having oppositely disposed bearings arranged.- over J said pipes, means for counter-balancing said tank said tank having a discharge pipe at its lower end, a valve carried by the discharge pipe and means for operating said valve when the weight of the fluid in said tank over-balances-the counter-balancing means.

2. A gas separator comprising a rectangular frame having vertically disposed side frames and an end frame, said side frames being provided with bearings, pipes extending through said bearings, a tank havin oppositely disposed bearings to receive said pipes, one of said pipes being turned at right angles and resting against the bottom of said tank at a point approximately onethird the length of the tank and the other pipe being turned upwardly and terminating adjacent the top of said tank, a pivoted beam carried by the end frame having a loose connection with said tank at one end and provided with weights at its other end, a discharge pipe for said tank having a valve, a cross .bar carried by said frame, rods connectin said cross bar to the operating means 0 said valve for opening said valve when the weight of the fluid within said tank over-balances the weight carried by said beam.

3. An oil and gas separator comprising a rectangular frame having a perpendicular rectangular frame at one end and substantially vertical side frames at its other end,

said side frames being provided with bearings, pipes extehding through said bearings, a cylindrical tank having oppositely disposed hearings in its wall to receive said pipes, one of said pipes being turned upwardly within said tank and the other 'pipe downwardly, a pivoted beam carried by the perpendicular frame having a loose connection with the lower end of said tank at one end and carrying weights at its other end for counter-balancing said tank, a discharge pipe carried by the lower end of said tank, a gate valve carried by said discharge pipe and rods connecting the gate of said valve with saidperpendicular frame for opening said gate valve when the weight of the liquid within said tank overcomes the weight of said counter-balancing means.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

FRANK D. BRUCE. 

